South

Charlamagne supports Southwest making obese flyers purchase extra seats

Published

2 months ago

December 4, 2025

Radio host Charlamagne tha God praised an upcoming airline policy change on Wednesday, saying obese passengers should consider eating less food if they don’t want to buy a second seat to accommodate their size.

Beginning on Jan. 27, 2026, Southwest Airlines will ditch open seating, having previously had a “pick any seat” policy, allowing customers to purchase tickets in different boarding groups by selecting where they wanted to sit upon boarding the plane.

The airline has also cautioned portly customers “who encroach upon the neighboring seat(s)” to proactively purchase the necessary number of seats prior to travel. Next month, however, such customers “will be required to purchase an additional seat and pay any applicable seat fee at the airport.”

“Why don’t they just make them fly cargo?” Charlamagne asked on “The Breakfast Club” radio show as his crew discussed the upcoming change. “And furthermore, I don’t have a problem at all with this, OK? If you are too big for one seat, then you just got to buy two seats. Don’t act like the plane is doing something to you. You know how big you are!”

STOP WEARINGS PAJAMAS ON AIRPLANES, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY SAYS ABOUT ‘BRINGING CIVILITY BACK’

Charlamagne tha God during a campaign event on Sept. 9, 2022, in Atlanta. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

“But what if you don’t got the bread to buy another seat, but you fat? You can’t control that,” co-host Jess Hilarious said.

“Well, you shouldn’t have been eating so much bread. You need to stop eating bread. All right? OK. By the way, tall people got to go through this, too! Tall people gotta buy the extra leg-room seats, so it ain’t just fat people that gotta deal with this. If you’re a tall person, you gotta buy extra legroom because you know you need it.”

“I don’t think that this is any wrongdoing of the plane, is what I’m simply saying,” Charlamagne said, going on to mention how stuffing somebody who does not fit well into a seat is not only a disservice to them, but to whomever sits next to them.

MODEL TESS HOLLIDAY CLAIMS UNITED FLIGHT ATTENDANT TOLD HER TO LOSE WEIGHT DURING FIRST-CLASS FLIGHT WITH SON

Co-host Jess Hilarious said she might actually prefer to sit next to an obese person, suggesting it would offer extra cushioning. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

He later concluded by telling listeners, “So Southwest is making a push to cut costs, it’s the new year, you should make a push to cut weight, OK? That should be your New Year’s resolution.”

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“Why don’t they just make them fly cargo?” Charlamagne asked on “The Breakfast Club” radio show. (Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network)

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North Carolina

Moving trends show how Wilmington’s growth compares to NC, the country

Published

9 minutes ago

January 21, 2026

Press Room

Moving trends show how Wilmington’s growth compares to NC, the country

North Carolina is the third-ranked growth state in the U.S. for the third consecutive year, according to U-Haul migration data.
The Wilmington metro area is the third-fastest growing in North Carolina and ranks 26th for growth nationwide.
Wilmington’s growth slowed in 2025, dropping from the 14th-ranked growth metro in 2024 to 26th.

According to a recent report from U-Haul, North Carolina remains one of the top growth states in the country. So what does this mean for Wilmington?

U-Haul analyzed migration data across the United States based on how many customers are taking U-Haul trucks and trailers on one-way trips in and out of states.

U-Haul’s data — which is comprised of over 2.5 million one-way moves across 24,000 rental facilities — found that North Carolina was the third-ranked growth state in the United States. And this is nothing new — North Carolina has been ranked third for three years running.

When we take a closer look into the state, how does Wilmington stack up against North Carolina’s other major cities?

Wilmington, NC’s growth

Have you been feeling like the Wilmington area is getting more crowded? The data shows you aren’t wrong.

Inside North Carolina, the biggest growth metropolitan areas remain the two largest cities: Charlotte and Raleigh. But right behind them in third place is the Wilmington metro area.

And Wilmington isn’t just seeing significant growth compared to the rest of North Carolina — it’s also the 26th ranked growth area in the country.

“While rankings may not correlate directly to population or economic growth, the U-Haul Growth Index is an effective gauge of how well states, metros and cities are attracting and maintaining residents,” the report said.

The report indicated that weather, lower cost of living, and strong public universities could also be driving factors for in-migration to North Carolina.

Slowing growth?

According to Jeff Lockridge, manager of media and public relations for U-Haul, Wilmington saw a “strong net-gain number” in 2025. But Lockridge said that the growth isn’t as robust compared to the previous year.

Wilmington was the 14th-ranked growth metro in 2024 but dropped 12 spots to 26th in 2025.

This is true of the city proper as well, Lockridge said. In 2025, one-way arrivals into Wilmington were down 10% while departures were only down 6%. This means that the city of Wilmington saw less net gain than previous years in terms of one-way moves.

While Wilmington still sees more U-Hauls coming in than going out, these numbers show that the growth slowed in 2025.

Still, it’s important to note that these numbers only represent change over the course of one year, and don’t necessarily predict the future.

New Hanover County’s most recent comprehensive plan, Destination 2050, stated that the county expects its population grow by 48% between 2020 and 2050.

Charlie Kingree is the trending topics and Pender County reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Jan. 20, 2026

Published

27 minutes ago

January 21, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Jan. 20, 2026

The Oklahoma Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Jan. 20, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 20 drawing

08-47-50-56-70, Mega Ball: 12

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 20 drawing

7-8-0

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 20 drawing

06-09-28-41-45, Lucky Ball: 08

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Jan. 20 drawing

14-17-19-32-33

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Sign Your Ticket: Please make sure to sign and complete the back of your ticket
You have 180 days from the draw date to claim your prize.
Prizes up to $600: Can be claimed at any Oklahoma Lottery retailer or at the Oklahoma Lottery Winner Center, located at 300 N. Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 4:00 pm.
Prizes from $601 to $49,999: These can be claimed at the Oklahoma Lottery Winner Center or by mail. Payments can be issued as a check or direct deposit (ACH). Claiming in person requires a photo of the front and back of the winning ticket, a valid ID, official proof of Social Security number and a completed claim form.
Prizes of $50,000 or more: These can be claimed in person at the Oklahoma Lottery Winner Center or by mail. Payment options include check or ACH. Bring a photo of the front and back of the winning ticket, proof of Social Security number, a completed claim form, and valid ID.

Mail-in Claims: Mail the original signed ticket and a completed claim form to the Oklahoma Lottery, P.O. Box 548810, Oklahoma City, OK 73154. For direct deposit, include a voided check or bank letter with your account details. Non-winning tickets are not accepted, and Oklahoma Lottery assumes no responsibility for lost or stolen mail.

For additional details, refer to the official Oklahoma Lottery claim page.

When are the Oklahoma Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
MEGA Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Pick 3: 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
Cash 5: 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oklahoma editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Tennessee

Luxe new LG Laundry Lounge at University of Tennessee is a U.S. first

Published

1 hour ago

January 21, 2026

Press Room

Luxe new LG Laundry Lounge at University of Tennessee is a U.S. first

Gone are the days of hunting for an open washer or dryer in Fred Brown Jr. Hall’s laundry room. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has upgraded the space into something you can’t find anywhere else in the country.

Over winter break, University Housing transformed the laundry room into the Laundry Lounge powered by LG Electronics. It’s the first Laundry Lounge in the U.S.

It’s a pilot program, with UT and LG partnering to make it a reality and emphasizing LG’s ties to the Volunteer State through its factory in Clarksville. LG works with universities around the world to transform student and classroom areas, including an initiative in South Korea called Another Campus that equips student lounges with innovative home appliance technology.

The UT transformation is an upgrade in several ways.

Forty-eight new LG smart washers and dryers are ready to use. Students can use the Laundry Crew app to check unit availability, track the time remaining on each cycle and set reminders to pick up their clothes.

“These machines are highly energy-efficient, so that was also helpful for us in terms of providing something that is energy efficient, more eco-friendly,” Vice Chancellor for Student Life Frank Cuevas told Knox News.

Students won’t need the app to use the machines, only to check the status of laundry. Washers and dryers already were free to use for students living on campus.

Decked out Laundry Lounge turns a chore into leisure

If that wasn’t enough, the lounge features an LG TV gaming wall complete with Xbox controllers and games already downloaded, as well as a sitting area and computer monitors for students.

UT will receive feedback from students during this pilot period to improve the experience.

“The idea is to make it easier for our students,” Cuevas said. “Their precious commodity is their time, and they spend about 85% of their time outside of the classroom space. So, let’s make it a little bit easier and make it friendlier for our students to be able to do life’s chores in a very easy, (low-stress) way.”

Pilot program could expand to more areas of University of Tennessee

UT chose Brown Hall to test this space because of the size of the existing laundry room and because the residence hall is a high-traffic building in the middle of campus. This gives students from all over campus a chance to see the space and offer feedback.

The lounge primarily is for Brown Hall residents, Cuevas said, but a resident could invite a friend into the building to use the facility.

If the pilot is successful, UT might explore implementing more Laundry Lounges. UT also could experiment with transforming community kitchens on campus, Cuevas said, but the university is focusing on laundry for the time being as it learns more from LG about partnership possibilities.

“As we’re thinking about modernizing the campus space … it’s creating physical spaces for students to come together in community. This Laundry Lounge powered by LG gives us that,” he said. “As we start looking at other buildings and creating what I call ‘transformative environments’ for students, it’s about how do we draw people to come together in community to really get to know their neighbors, to really get to know their campus.”

Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email: keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.

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